Adhesive composition components such as base polymers, tackifiers, waxes, and oils are customarily provided as separate components for formulation into hot melt adhesive (HMA) compositions. In HMA nonwoven and hygiene applications, adhesive compositions are sought that provide a desired combination of physical properties, such as low viscosity to enable easy processability of said formulations and high peel strength over time to provide stable adhesion.
Exemplary base polymer compositions and methods of making polymer compositions for HMA applications that can be used for nonwoven and hygiene applications are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,294,681 and 7,524,910. Various polymers described in these patents and/or produced by the methods disclosed in these patents have been sold by ExxonMobil Chemical Company as LINXAR™ polymers.
International Publication No. 2013/134038 discloses a method for producing a polymer blend having at least two different propylene-based polymers produced in parallel reactors. The multi-modal polymer blend has a Mw of about 10,000 g/mol to about 150,000 g/mol. Many different types of polymers and additives are known and have been used in HMA formulations for nonwoven applications. Generally, adhesive formulations for these applications are prepared by combining polymer, tackifier, and wax in equal quantities. However, there remains a need for an adhesive formulation that has the new base polymer combined with one or more oils that has suitable adhesive properties over time.